A Kentucky woman says Janssen Pharmaceuticals fails to provide adequate warnings about the dangers associated with diabetes medication Invokana.

Plaintiff Evelyn J. has filed suit against defendant Janssen Pharmaceuticals, its parent company Johnson & Johnson and their related companies, all of whom are allegedly involved in the development, manufacture, marketing or sale of diabetes medication Invokana.

Evelyn says her use of diabetes medication Invokana led to “severe and life-threatening side effects of kidney failure, heart attack and stroke.”

Evelyn says she began taking Invokana around May 2014, using it according to her treating physician’s directions.

She alleges that while on Invokana she suffered “Heart attack, Kidney Failure, Ketoacidosis and a Stroke,” among other, unspecified injuries.

These injuries required her to undergo several days of hospitalization, she claims, incurring substantial medical bills while at the same time causing considerable pain, suffering and emotional distress.

She anticipates needing further medical care for these injuries in the future.

Evelyn says these injuries were all caused by the Invokana she took. Had she and her treating physicians known the true risks associated with diabetes medication Invokana, she claims, she would have undergone proper monitoring for the drug’s side effects or would never have taken it in the first place.

Defects Alleged in Diabetes Medication Invokana

According to Evelyn’s claim, diabetes medication Invokana is a member of a class of drugs called sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors, or SGLT2 inhibitors.

These drugs work by stopping reabsorption of glucose into the blood within the kidneys. The excess glucose is instead excreted out through the urine, helping the patient reduce the high levels of blood sugar associated with type 2 diabetes.

Evelyn says that by altering the kidneys’ natural function, SGLT2 inhibitors in general and Invokana specifically, put stress on the kidneys in patients who are already at risk for kidney problems.

She also alleges that defendant Janssen Ortho failed to properly manufacture diabetes medication Invokana, and that the flaws in the manufacturing process are at least partially to blame for her injuries.

She says she and her doctors relied on the representations the defendants made about Invokana – that it was clinically effective to improve glycemic control, and that it was safe and effective.

But contrary to those representations, she says, her injuries were a reasonably foreseeable result of the alleged defects in Invokana.

Her injuries were preventable, she claims. She alleges they are direct results of the defendants’ failure to conduct proper safety studies, to disclose relevant safety information, and to provide adequate instructions.

She accuses the companies of willfully misrepresenting the facts about the nature and safety of Invokana.

Evelyn’s Invokana lawsuit raises claims for design defect, failure to warn, negligence, breaches of express and implied warranties, gross negligence, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment and concert of action.

She seeks a damage award including compensatory, treble and punitive damages, plus interest, court costs and attorneys’ fees.

The Invokana Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-00312, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.